Friday, September 28, 2012

20 Seconds of Insane Courage

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9, NKJV

There is a great line in the movie, We Bought A Zoo, where Matt Damon's character says,“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”Isn’t that God’s challenge in today’s text? I can see at least four things in this verse that will help you to have 20 seconds of insane courage:#1 Courage is a command not a suggestionHave you ever noticed that when God speaks it’s usually not a suggestion? That’s right, God knows the score, He knows what’s good for you, He is on your side and when He speaks our job is to listen and obey. So, when God says that you are to have courage - that settles it and don’t settle for anything less. Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. So whatever you are facing today, do it with courage.#2 Strength alone is not enoughDid you know that God always gives us the strength to accomplish every one of our God-given dreams and visions? Of course He does, that’s not even up for debate. The God who created the universe and created you understands what it takes to accomplish a task. He’s never going to give you a dream that you don’t have the strength and the ability to achieve. He wouldn’t waste your time. But sometimes our own lack of courage will stop us before we even get started. Courage is nothing more than putting our faith into action. Don’t ever forget that when God told us in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,” he meant what He said. So get started today, not just in your strength but His.#3 Don’t let fear stop youRight after God tells us to be strong and of good courage He tells us not to be afraid nor dismayed. I think we all know that fear does its very best to stop us before we can even get started. And if we get in the habit of letting fear have its way, then it leads to dismay and discouragement. The word “dismay” literally means to lie down. If fear builds a big enough stronghold in our lives it can ultimately cause us to lie down and give up before we get a chance to run after our dreams. Don’t ever let fear do that to you.#4 God will see you throughI love how God finishes this verse. He reminds us that He will be with us wherever we go. He will be with you every single step of the way. He’s not just there at your first step, He’ll be there at the beginning and He’ll be there at the end. Remember, Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of our faith. He will be with you wherever you go. From the starting line to the finish line He’ll cheer you on with every step.So, what would things look like a year from now if you exercised 20 seconds of divinely inspired courage? Are you just one decision away from the biggest move of your life? What’s stopping you? What’s the worst that can happen? It’s time for you to throw caution to the wind and see what you and God can accomplish. It’s your move, God has already made His. So be strong and of good courage, and I promise you, something great will come of it.

“Father, I choose today to believe Your word. I believe that You have commanded me to be strong and to have good courage. So I’m ready to reach for something big today. I’m not wasting the strength You have already given me, but I’m putting it into action because I have all the courage I need to see Your will and Your purpose come to pass in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

Tweet it: Be strong and of good courage, and I promise you, something great will come of it. @jrjones